The Storm Before
by The Jenx
Summary: In a world of political intrigue, the Tsubasa group searches for the truth that can stop a war. Then the OTHER Tsubasa group arrives, searching for a feather... KxF, SxS, KuroxSouma, FaixAshura CHAPTER 1: Enter the heroes. Wars, secrets, and a bad pun.
1. Prologue

So. This is the first time in over a year that I've tried a chaptered fanfic. Let's see how this goes…

* * *

"Mmm?" A feline smirk spread across Yuuko's face. "Oh. Oh, _this_ is precious."

"I'm begging you." Syaoran watched her, locking her in a determined stare.

"Oh, I'm not turning you down," she assured him. "I'm just wondering how many of you are going to come to me o save your princess."

"I- what? Princess?"

"Never mind." She surveyed the group, tapping her chin. "I don't like messing with time, so this could be expensive. Then again, there's 5 of you to share the price."

"Shut up and send us back," Kurogane snapped. Souma hushed him, eyes fixed on the witch, who proceeded to ignore both of them.

"You realize that you might die if you succeed," she pointed out.

Silence.

"I don't think…" All eyes turned on Fai, who offered a nervous smile. "Well, the future must have already happened, because if things had gone well, we wouldn't be here. So… we must be altering the past of a different set of ourselves… did that make sense?"

"Don't think too hard," Kurogane muttered, "your head might explode."

Ashura chuckled, smirking at the ninja.

"But you're all willing to accept the possibility?" Yuuko repeated, hands on her hips. There was a collective murmur of agreement. She smiled.

"Good. Then I'll take you in one at a time. Let's talk payment."

* * *

No. This does_not_ make sense yet. Or if it does, you are awesome. But don't worry, it will fairly soon, and by fairly soon I mean PROBABLY early in the first chapter.

By the by, I'm doing this as a Lite NaNoWriMo- that is, this will be at least 25,00 words long by the end of February. I may post it as I go, then fix it in March. I may not even post things this month, and fix them before I put them up the first time. Or I may just post it as I go and make you deal with its suckage.

If you care one way or another, say so in your review.


	2. Chapter 1

Wah, I ALWAYS forget that screws up my spacing! Sorry bout that, putting in scene cuts now. o.O Thanks to Violet for pointing that out.

* * *

The problem with falling, Sakura decided, was that you had to land at some point. Mokona didn't appear to understand this, and the poor creature was being pummeled by Kurogane (again) for dropping them a good 20 meters above the mud.  
"Not that it would've mattered," Fai speculated, brushing dark sludge off his white coat. "We could've fallen and splattered or landed softly and sunk. We splattered. Both leave us dirty."  
"That's not the _point_!" Kurogane raged. He opened his mouth to continue, but Fai cut him off as he shook his head like a wet puppy, effectively spraying mud and water on the others. Syaoran sat up, ignoring them as they started their typical bickering. If the adults were too immature to explore their surroundings, someone needed to.

Particularly because their surroundings looked suspiciously like an army encampment.

"Ah…" he surveyed the campfires, tents, and armored men in dismay. At least they had the element of surprise on their side; the soldiers hadn't been expecting a rag-tag group of travelers to fall out of the sky, and were busy gaping at them. "Fai-san, Kurogane-san-"

"-bad enough that we have to land in mud- " Kurogane was screeching, shaking Fai, who seemed to be enjoying it.

"Kurogane-san," Sakura attempted, tapping him on the shoulder. He whirled around to face her, dragging Fai with him.

"_What?_"

Sakura didn't have to reply. The unsheathing of several swords did that for her. Kurogane's eyes widened as he took in his surroundings, and mentally calculated the number of soldiers in the vicinity.

"Declare your business," one of the soldiers said. He must've been important, because the sea of footmen stayed at least a few paces away from him.

"Kuro-wan's gotten us in trouble," Fai whispered, smug. Kurogane shot him a dirty look.

"We're travelers," Syaoran said, standing. "I'm afraid we don't know where we are, so I apologize for intruding."

The man frowned, but sheathed his sword. A wave of murmurs ran through the crowd, but gradually they followed suit.

"Come with me." He turned and started to walk away, calling orders over his shoulder. "Paz, Borma, Batou! Help me escort these gentlemen- and lady- to the Major."

With Three other men detached from the throng with assorted complaints, but eventually positioned themselves around the group as they followed the man in the front.

"Sir?" Syaoran asked, trotting to keep up with him. "Sir, I really don't think the escort is necessary-"

"I decide what's necessary," the soldier replied. He halted in front of a tent and knocked on the post.

"Who is it?" a deep voice asked from inside.

"Private Taylin," the man replied. Syaoran frowned- had they already arrived at the Major's tent? It was… well, kind of puny.

"I picked up some travelers that you may be interested in, Sir. One looks a good deal like your Corporal."

Pause.

"Show them in and leave."

Taylin looked somewhat put-off.

"But Sir, you can't- these are _clearly_ foreigners, and they outnumber you-"

"Show them in and leave, Private."

Taylin scowled, but pushed aside the flaps. He bent down, bringing his face level to Syaoran's, and lowered his voice.

"If the Major comes out of this encounter with so much as a scratch, you'll be executed at dawn."

"Y…Yes sir," Syaoran stuttered, hurrying inside. Was everyone here so friendly? Because if they were, finding the feather would be-

"Amazing…"

Sakura's gasp cut through his thoughts, and as he looked around, he had to agree. The inside of the tent was significantly larger than the outside. The ceiling arched high above them, painted in intricate green and gold patterns, which matched those on the various furniture. A set of green cloth curtains sectioned off part of the tent. At the very front, two men were seated at a long table. The man at the head- presumably the Major- was a tall, elegant creature, whose jet black hair contrasted with pale skin and nearly silver eyes.

The other man was more interesting- it was Fai. Granted, he didn't look like he had slept in a month, granted he was far more pale than could be healthy, and he was even thinner (was that possible?), but there was no mistaking the smile.

"Ah…" Fai-who-wasn't-Fai stared at them. "It's… Ashura, it's me!" he chirped, shaking the other man's arm. "Look, look, and a Li-kun and a Kuro-muu!"

Next to Syaoran, Sakura attempted to stifle a giggle. All Fais are fundamentally the same, and thus weird, but one would think he would take a _little_ more time to adjust to there being two of him. Ashura glanced from the group to the other Fai and back, then smirked.

"I see. And apparently, _all_ Flourties are sickly."

Syaoran glanced over at Fai, because he was a little scrawny maybe, but not sickly. He was surprised to find that Ashura's statement was accurate. Despite the clenched smile, had blanched nearly as pale as his double and was trembling.

"Fai-san?" Syaoran reached out to take his hand, but had barely brushed it when Fai jerked it away with a startled gasp. He stared at Syaoran as if noticing him for the first time, then fell back into a shaky grin.

"Anyways," Ashura was saying, "I'm assuming this has something to do with the Dimension Witch? Sit down, please," he added, gesturing them forwards. Fai hurried to a seat where he could hide behind Kurogane. "So. I've known most of you for about a year now, but I was wondering if the lady and the…" Ashura paused, tapping his fingers on the table. "…familiar, perhaps? Could introduce themselves."

"Familiar?" Sakura asked, brow creased in thought.

"It's like- Magical pet- Helper." Fai explained, forming awkward half-thoughts. He finished with a nervous laugh and attempted to shrink behind Kurogane again. Not that it helped, because Kurogane was staring at him too. He had either the least tact or the least respect for secrets. Syaoran suspected the latter.

"It's an animal assistant that magicians use," the other Fai explained. He was giving Fai a look of genuine confusion. "We assumed that the white creature was Fai's familiar."

"I'm Mokona Modoki!" it piped up, hopping onto the table. "Pleasure to meet you, Ashura and Fai #2!"

Fai #2 broke into a fit of giggles, and Ashura quirked his lips in an amusement.

"Just… call him Flourite," Ashura said. "It'll make things simpler. Anyways, the lady?"

"Ah- I'm Sakura," she replied, holding out her hand. "Nice to meet you."

No one shook her hand. A shadow fell over Ashura and Flourite. Sakura withdrew her hand, puzzled.

"You're… Sakura?" Flourite asked after a moment, his soft voice terribly loud on the silence.

"Y…Yes?" she said, more a question then an answer.

"Ah, that's good," Flourite said, springing back to life. He took her hand and shook it, then reached over to ruffle her hair. "Every bit as adorable as Li-kun said you were."

"Is something wrong?" Syaoran asked.

"She's dead here," Ashura said. Syaoran froze. Dead? While he was still alive? But how- "Anyways," Ashura continued, hurrying forwards, "I'd like to know what your situation is."

"I'd like to know why she's dead," Syaoran said in a carefully measured calm. Kurogane could tell it was bothering the brat and really, it should. Meant that he'd failed.

"I'd like to know too," Sakura requested.

"I'd like to know why Fai's so scared of them," Kurogane added, staring at Fai. There was a pause while Fai pretended not to hear and everyone else glared at Kurogane.

"What?" Kurogane asked, glaring right back. Everyone _else_ had been asking questions.

"There are many questions," Ashura agreed, but I'll answer what I can _after_ I know why you're in my military camp. In a time of war, that does _not_ give you a favorable first impression."

"We're looking for something," Sakura began. "A feather. It's got lots of power, but it's my memory and I need it back. But there's lots of them in different worlds, so we travel a lot."

"Ah, so you help them switch worlds," Flourite concluded, grinning at Fai.

"I don't use magic," Fai said, grinning back. "Mokona transports us."

Ashura glanced over at him, but said nothing.

"Have you heard about anything like it?" Syaoran asked. "A new source of power nearby or something?"

"Hmmm…" Flourite drummed his fingers on the table. "There's nothing yet, but fairly soon some weird (_cough_) stuff is going to (_cough_) to- sorry-" he broke off, coughing into an obscenely frilly pink handkerchief. Kurogane was used to sickness after taking care of his mother for so long, and had the decency not to stare. The kids, apparently, weren't used to it, because they kept watching and looked horrified when they noticed the blood on the handkerchief. Flourite finished and, noticing the eyes on him, smiled. "Anyways," he continued, his voice raw, "there's-"

"I'll explain," Ashura interrupted. Flourite sat back, offering an apologetic smile. "We're actually not natives of this world- well, of this time period at least. In a few weeks, a war will break out. Flourite, Kurogane, Li, Souma and I were lucky enough to survive, and Yuuko has sent us back in time so we can stop it. So," he continued, leaning forwards and sizing up the group as one might inspect a piece of meat at the butcher's. "Since you have a quest and we have a quest, perhaps we could help each other?"

Syaoran opened his mouth to agree, then eyed Fai and fell silent. He'd like to help, but he also didn't want to see Fai like this any longer than he had to. It was downright disturbing.

"Is there a feather here?" Kurogane asked.

"Mokona can't tell if there's a feather or not," Mokona said, pouting. "Fais and Ashura have too much magic."

"Shouldn't we stay anyways?" Sakura asked. "I mean, they're us- well, some of us- everyone but me- so we can't just leave them, right? That'd be like… suicide… except… with other selves."

"They're not going to die," Kurogane snorted.

"They might!" Sakura insisted, staring up at him. "And there might be a feather anyways!" Dammit, she was making puppy eyes. Flourite smiled and ruffled her hair.

"We'll be alright without you, but it would be nice."

"Then it's decided," Ashura said. "Unless there are any…" he glanced over at Fai, raising his eyebrows. "…objections?"

Fai shook his head, staring intently at his fists..

"We'd love to stay," he said, not quite managing a singsong tone.

"Good." Ashura smiled.

"Wait a minute," Kurogane snapped, slamming his palm on the table. "The only ones who agreed to anything here were Sakura and Fai, and _his_ judgment is shit!" Flourite had the decency to look offended since Fai didn't, and Ashura's smile hardened into a stony glare. "How do you stop a war anyways?"

"Mou, Kuro-puu," Flourite whined, "you don't have to shout."

"I'm not shouting!" Kurogane shouted. "I just don't get how joining the military will _stop_ a war."

"You would get a lot more if you tried listening before you get mad," Flourite replied, resting his head in his hands. "We're here so we can hear news from the higher-ups, who will give an order in a month or so to kidnap Princess Aven of Kriti, which will start the war."

"What sort of shit plan is _that?"_

"Kurogane-san," Syaoran started, but Ashura cut him off.

"I have enough influence here to change certain orders," he said, "and if that fails, you and your wife are currently working as her guards, so-"

"My _what_? Look, I don't have a wife, I don't serve _anyone_ but Tomoyo-hime, and if you think I'm wasting my time-"

Kurogane found himself in the odd position of speaking without making any sound. After a brief panic, he snarled at the magicians. Ashura met his eyes, holding Kurogane in a cold stare.

"We will let you stay with us for the evening while you discuss with your companions. We'll speak again in the morning." He turned down the table, a calm smile back in place. Fai must've picked up the habit from Ashura. "The rest of you, it's been a pleasure to meet you and I hope that we can work together. I'll fix your rooms momentarily. Please, make yourself comfortable."

(------)

Comfortable. That was something Fai hadn't been in a while, and wouldn't be for a good sight longer, since Syaoran had convinced them to stay. Hadn't been comfortable since they stepped in the tent, really. He didn't have much to worry about though; Ashura was not the man he was running from, and he'd figured that out quickly enough. Just the one back home… He traced patterns in the dirt floor next to his bedroll, trying to pretend he didn't feel Kurogane staring at him. Never could hide anything from the damn ninja, but Kurogane never got it right anyways. Right now, he was probably thinking up wild stories of how Ashura was an evil emperor from another planet come to mindfuck everyone, or some such nonsense.

The most unnerving part was seeing himself- well, not so much seeing himself as seeing himself with Ashura. He knew what was happening on the other end of the tent, behind the green curtains to the Major's private bed. The funny thing was he was jealous. It's got to be the strangest feeling in the world to be jealous of yourself.

"Kuro-puppy, you can stop sulking. It won't be so bad staying here," Fai said, making a token effort at happiness. Not that he was particularly depressed, merely sentimental… well… perhaps a little. And as usual, Kurogane could tell.

"That's not what I'm mad about," he said. The kids had already fallen asleep, so Kurogane would be more direct. Fai waited while Kurogane thought of the least tactful question he could. "What're you so afraid of Ashura for?"

Oh, for god's sake. Was this his idea of therapy? Fai sighed and rolled onto his stomach.

"I'm not."

"Liar."

Fai smirked at him and sat up.

"And what if I'm not?"

"You were terrified when you saw him," Kurogane insisted, which was true, if only because he didn't know which Ashura-ou he was dealing with.

"More like surprised," Fai replied, crawling over to Kurogane. He was sitting against the wall, because he seemed to sleep easier sitting up. "Wouldn't you be surprised if you saw Tomoyo-hime here?"

Kurogane's eyes widened, but he showed no other signs of surprise. For all his complaints about Fai masking emotions, Kurogane hid behind his anger rather often.

"How did you know she was my princess?"

"Maybe I can read minds," Fai said, leaning in nose-to-nose. He let Kurogane panic for a moment before finishing the thought. "..or maybe I just eavesdropped on you when you talked to her in Piffle World."

"You bastard," Kurogane snarled.

"I bastard," Fai confirmed, backing off a little. "I also tired. It's been a long day."

He made his way around the kids and back to his bedroll, lying down with his back to Kurogane. It was amusingly easy to slip out of answering questions, he thought as he closed his eyes.

(------)

"Visitors from _where_?" Kurogane glanced over at Souma, frowning. "Hey, Souma, is Flourite full of shit?"

Souma was at the dresser, more interested in her hair than her husband at the moment. It had rained this afternoon, and the castle air was still damp, making her hair curly and thus hell to brush.

"I'm sure I wouldn't know." Souma shrugged and put down the brush. "But he hasn't got any reason to lie to us, does he?"

"Of course not," Flourite agreed, pouting. Kurogane hated watching him through his magic portals- the pout was sugary enough, but now the magic tinted everything a faint pink. It was quite horrifying. "But the Kuro-pon with them is lots less fun. He might even make them leave before we get to play."

Kurogane smacked his forehead.

"Flourite, we're not _playing_, we're stopping a damn war."

"Same thing," Flourite chirped. "So since you haven't attacked us yet, I'm guessing Princess Aven's still safe?"

"Of course," Kurogane snorted. "Any news on when we should watch for one of your men?"

"No orders yet," Flourite said. "Li-kun hasn't heard anything either."

Souma gave up on her hair and turned her full attention on the image on their wall.

"Well, tell us when something interesting happens. And your doubles, keep us informed on them too. Let us know if Kurogane makes any trouble."

"Or if the damn mage does."

"Yes, yes- hold on." Flourite ducked out of the oval, leaving them to watch the curtains. "I'll be done in a minute, Ashura-chan, it can wait!" His radiant smile bounced back into the image. "Sorry. Ashura's trying to force some witches' brew down my throat."

"You need your medicine," Souma scolded. "How're you doing?"

"Oh, still dying," Flourite chirped.

"Don't joke about that," Ashura's voice called.

"I'll joke about it if I want," Flourite insisted, turning his back on them. Kurogane cleared his throat louder than necessary. "Ah! Sorry," Flourite said, turning around. "I have to go, but we'll talk again tomorrow."

(------)

"Tommorow's not good enough," Kurogane growled. "We have to figure this out _tonight._"

Syaoran rubbed his arms and frowned up at the ninja, squinting through the night.

"Kurogane-san, I think you may be over-reacting. It's cold out here, so if we could get back in the tent…"

"Do you want to die in your sleep? Do you want your _princess_ to die in your sleep?" Kurogane ran his hands through his hair. "There's too damn many secrets here, and I'm not so keen on sleeping in the same tent with 3 men who might kill us. Hell, you should've brought Sakura out here too. Shouldn't leave her alone in there."

Syaoran sighed. The older man was verging on paranoid at this point, pacing circles around him and fidgeting with the peace ties on his sword. Syaoran was used to being mature for Sakura when she needed someone strong, but he wasn't used to calming Kurogane.

"Kurogane-san, Fai isn't going to hurt us. He's our friend."

Kurogane stopped pacing and stomped, bending down to Syaoran's level.

"Did you see the look on his face when he walked in? A caged animal, that was what he looked like. He's a coward- oh, don't deny that," he added when Syaoran began to protest. "I know, he's just a pacifist, or he's just lazy, or whatever you're about to say, but that's bullshit. Anyways, he's a coward and he's scared shitless right now, so there's no telling _what_ he'll do to next. Fear makes you crazy."

"Like waking your friend in the middle of the night to stand out in the cold and talk conspiracy theories." Syaoran was as surprised at the statement as Kurogane was. He clapped a hand over his mouth, fighting back a blush. "Ah! I'm sorry, Kurogane-san, I didn't mean… um…"

Kurogane silenced him by grabbing his head in a slightly-too-strong grip. Then his face broke into a grin.

"Probably. But even if Fai's nothing to worry about, how bout Ashura? There's gotta be some reason Fai's scared of him."

"I'm sure Fai-san would warn us if-"

Kurogane clamped his hand over Syaoran's mouth and pulled him into the shadows of the tent. He might have struggled if he had time to understand what was happening, but by the time his mind caught up he was clutched tight against Kurogane's chest. Kurogane always gave the impression of muscular, but it was difficult to understand until you were pressed close enough to feel his body transform into a mass of potential violence, tensed and ready to snap. Syaoran figured struggling would be a bad idea.

Besides, he could see what Kurogane was watching now. Ashura emerged from the tent,. He moved slowly, pacing a small circle and waving his candle into the darkness. Kurogane retreated a few steps to avoid being seen. Ashura finally stopped and traced a pattern in the air. Yuuko's face appeared in the usual oval of pink light, a good deal less pleased than usual. Her hair was a mess and she looked slightly hung over and not-so-slightly murderous.

"Hello?" she squinted at Ashura, then groaned. "Oh. It's you."

"I want to talk to you," he replied. "Please, keep your voice down, everyone's asleep."

"Damn right I was," Yuuko muttered. Ashura ignored her.

"It's about my price-"

"That's _done_," Yuuko interrupted with a wave of her hand. "Paid. Gone. Please don't tell me you woke me up to argue about changing your price."

"It isn't a fair price," Ashura argued, putting his hand on his hip. "You're charging him double."

Syaoran wasn't entirely sure who 'he' was. His first thought was Flourite, but then he remembered that Ashura also knew another Kurogane and another Syaoran.

"Then you should've thought of that before you accepted," Yuuko said, turning her back on him.

"Wait!" Ashura reached forwards, and Syaoran had to pity the desperation in his voice. "I was wondering if you'd take an equal exchange. A new group arrived this evening-"

Kurogane's grip on Syaoran convulsed painfully tight, and Syaoran let out an involuntary hiss. Ashura froze.

"Excuse me," he said. He gave Yuuko the same sickly-sweet smile that Fai presented. "I have guests. We'll talk later."

"No we won't," Yuuko muttered as the connection flickered and died. No sooner had Ashura stopped speaking than a jet of flame passed in front of Syaoran, close enough that he could feel the tips tickling his cheeks as it singed Kurogane's arm. Kurogane didn't cry out, just gripped Syaoran tighter and then let go altogether, muttering curses under his breath. Ashura rounded the corner, his candle replaced by a large globe of spellfire in his hands. He stopped, his mouth falling into an o of surprise, and the spellfire shrunk.

"What," Ashura said, deadly calm, "are you doing?"

"We were talking," Syaoran began, willing away the embarrassed blush that crept down his neck, "and then you came out so… um…"

"What was your price?" Kurogane asked, rising to his full height and staring down at Ashura. The major flinched, but stood his ground.

"My price is none of your business. You are my guest. I expect you to respect Flourite and my privacy. We will talk more tomorrow morning, unless you are leaving."

A tense silence settled over them. Syaoran chewed on his lower lip. He wasn't anxious to get on Ashura's bad side, and he wasn't entirely sure that it was their business after all.

"Kurogane-san," he said finally, taking Kurogane's arm and guiding him away from Ashrua, "let's go get some sleep. I'm sorry for the trouble, Major."

"I don't _want_ sleep, dammit-" Kurogane started, but Syaoran dragged him inside. Ashura didn't follow.

(------)

It was a brisk morning, which was good because it kept Sakura awake even though she hadn't slept well last night. Not that anyone had; Kurogane had kept watch, Syaoran had tossed and turned all night, and Fai would sit up and scold Kurogane every few minutes. Yes, the chill air was definitely a good thing. Flourite apparently thought otherwise, because he had brought an obscenely fluffy blanket to the breakfast table and kept sending puppy eyes at Ashura, who had dragged him out of bed. Between Flourite's pleas and Kurogane's glares, Ashura was somewhat touchy this morning.

"Good," he said, putting down the porridge with more force than necessary. "I'm glad you're staying."

"It's going to be a while before the fun though," Flourite said into his blanket. "We came back early so we'd have time to train troops and gain trust with the higher-ups. There'll be plenty of down time before Aven vanishes and puts us to work."

"Put the blanket away," Ashura snapped. "We're eating. Conduct yourself like a Corporal."

"A corporal can carry a furry blanket if he's cold," Flourite countered, ruffling the Major's hair. Fai smiled at his plate. Sakura searched his face, but there was nothing out of the ordinary in his smile. He must be feeling better. She breathed a sigh of relief, which was cut into a gasp of surprise as the tent flaps were thrust aside by two men with spears. One man, Private Taylin from the previous night, dashed forwards and slammed his palms on the table.

"Major! We-"

"Private Taylin, you will take your hands out of Syaoran-kun's breakfast and form a coherent sentence," Ashura ordered, narrowing his eyes at Taylin. Taylin opened his mouth to reply, then picked up his left hand, which was indeed covered in eggs. He backed up, wiping them off on his pants.

"Sir," he said, kneeling in front of Ashura, "we've received a declaration of war from the Kriti royal family. Princess Aven has been kidnapped."

* * *

For everyone who caught the Ghost in the Shell pun at the beginning, I offer my sincere apologies. I just couldn't help having members of Section 9 escort them to "the Major".

Anyways, I don't like how this is turning out and obviously it's not a febnowrimo anymore, but we'll just see how it goes. I do have a plot outline and I'd hate to waste it. Oh, and don't worry- we'll run into alternate Syaoran too at some point. As in, chapter 2.


End file.
